Activated carbon is useful for purifying contaminated water or polluted air. In emergencies, you can use it to remove dangerous toxins and poisons from your body. Before you can activate charcoal, you need to make it at home by burning wood or other fibrous plant materials. At that point you will be ready to add activating chemicals, such as calcium chloride or lemon juice, to complete the process.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Getting the Coal
Step 1. Start a medium sized fire in a safe area
An outdoor campfire is probably the easiest way to create activated charcoal, but you can use your own fireplace if you prefer. The fire should be hot enough to burn the pieces of wood.
Take safety precautions when lighting a fire and always keep a fire extinguisher handy
Step 2. Fill a metal pot with small pieces of hardwood
If you don't have wood available, you can use almost any dense, fibrous plant material, such as coconut shells. Insert the wood into the metal pot, then close it with the lid.
- The lid of the pot should have a ventilation hole, although the flow of air inside should be limited during the operation. For example, you can use a camping teapot, so that air can escape from the spout.
- Make sure the material you want to burn is completely dry before placing it in the pot.
Step 3. Leave the pot on high heat for 3-5 hours to get the charcoal
Put it closed on the fire. As the material cooks, you should notice steam and gas coming out of the vent hole in the lid. This process burns all the substances inside the material, except the coal.
When no more smoke or gas comes out of the pot, cooking is probably complete
Step 4. Clean the charcoal with water once it has cooled
The charcoal inside the pot will stay hot for some time. Wait for it to cool down. When it is cool to the touch, place it in a clean container and rinse it with cold water to remove the ash and other debris, then filter the water.
Step 5. Crumble the coal
Put the clean charcoal in a mortar and pound it into a fine powder. Alternatively, you can put it in a sturdy plastic bag and crumble it with a hammer or meat mallet.
Step 6. Allow the coal dust to air dry completely
If you used a plastic bag, put the powder in a clean bowl, otherwise you can leave it in the mortar. In about 24 hours, it should be completely dry.
Confirm that it is dry with your fingers; it should be fully before continuing
Part 2 of 4: Activate the Coal
Step 1. Mix calcium chloride and water in a 1: 3 ratio
Be careful when mixing these substances, as the solution will get very hot. You need enough liquid to completely submerge the charcoal. For a normal batch of charcoal, 100 g of chloride in 300 ml of water should suffice.
You can buy calcium chloride at almost any hardware store, home improvement store, and hypermarket
Step 2. Use bleach or lemon juice as an alternative to calcium chloride solution
If you cannot find this substance, you can replace the solution with 300 ml of bleach or lemon juice.
Step 3. Mix the calcium chloride solution and the charcoal powder
Put the dry powder in a glass or stainless steel bowl. Add the calcium chloride solution (or lemon juice or bleach) to the powder in small amounts, stirring throughout the process with a spoon.
When the solution reaches the consistency of a paste, stop
Step 4. Cover the bowl and let it rest for 24 hours
Cover it and don't touch it. After a day, remove as much moisture from the bowl as possible. At this point, the coal should be wet, but not saturated.
Step 5. Cook the charcoal for another three hours to activate it
Put it back in the (clean) metal pot and turn on the fire, which will need to be hot enough for the water to boil. After three hours of cooking at this temperature, the charcoal will be activated.
Part 3 of 4: Using Activated Charcoal
Step 1. Learn how activated carbon works
It is a useful substance for removing bad odors, bacteria, pollutants and allergens from the air or water. It works by trapping odors, toxins, bacteria, pollutants, allergens and chemicals in the many tiny pores it contains.
Step 2. Purify the home air
Wrap the activated charcoal in a linen or cloth, then place it where it is needed. If you don't have linen sheets, you can use other tightly knit, breathable fabrics, such as cotton.
- Do not use fabrics that smell of detergent or bleach. The charcoal will also absorb those odors and be less effective.
- To improve air purification, place a fan so that it blows air over the charcoal. All the air that passes through the coal will be purified.
Step 3. Make a carbon-based water filter with a sock
Commercially available water filters can be expensive, but you can achieve the same level of purity without breaking the bank by creating a homemade filter. Get a clean sock that doesn't smell of detergent or bleach, put activated charcoal inside, then purify the water by pouring it through the sock.
Step 4. Make a clay and charcoal face mask
In a small bowl, mix two tablespoons of bentonite clay, half a teaspoon of activated charcoal, one tablespoon of turmeric, two of apple cider vinegar, and one teaspoon of honey. Continue by adding small amounts of water to the solution until it is homogeneous.
- This mask removes toxins from the face and frees the pores.
- The natural ingredients contained in this mask are safe for almost all skin types.
- Apply a thick layer of the mask to your face for 10 minutes, then wash it off with water.
Step 5. Treat bloating and excess gas with activated charcoal
Pour 500 mg of powdered activated charcoal into 300 ml of water. Drink this solution before meals that cause you to gas or when you start feeling bloated and full of gas to help relieve symptoms.
Drinking charcoal with a non-acidic juice (such as carrot juice) is more pleasant than taking it blunt. Avoid acidic juices (such as orange or apple), which make the substance less effective
Part 4 of 4: Creating an Activated Carbon Filter for a Mask
Step 1. Make a mask with a 2 liter plastic bottle
Cut the bottom of the bottle with scissors, then remove a 7cm square from one side of the bottle. The panel should start from the side you cut to the point where the bottle neck begins to sag.
Plastic cut with scissors can be serrated. Cover the edges with masking tape so you don't cut yourself
Step 2. Make a filter chamber with an aluminum can
Make holes for air to pass through the bottom of an aluminum can with scissors or a drill. Afterward, remove the top of the can with sturdy scissors or shears.
Be careful when handling the cut material of the can. It is often sharp enough to cut. You can use duct tape to avoid injury
Step 3. Load the mask with activated charcoal
Insert a layer of cotton on the bottom of the can, then a layer of activated charcoal on top of the cotton and another layer of cotton to close. Tape some cotton over the cut side of the can, then make a small hole in the fabric.
Be careful when loading the can with charcoal, especially if you have decided not to use tape to cover the sharp sides
Step 4. Make up the mask with tape and use it when needed
Insert the spout of the bottle into the hole in the cotton at the top of the can. By breathing through the beak, the air will be filtered by the charcoal contained in the can.
Warnings
- Check the fire as you cook the charcoal. If it goes out or the temperature drops too much, the charcoal will not activate.
- Improper handling or use of chemicals such as calcium chloride can be dangerous. Always follow the safety procedures on chemical labels.
